Modern dance shoe

ABSTRACT

Embodiments relate generally to footwear for dancers performing modern dance. In particular, embodiments relate to modern dance footwear comprising an enclosed toe portion to surround the forefoot, and a form-fitting section to surround much of the hindfoot, having a heel strap. A particular embodiment relates to dance footwear to be worn on a human foot comprising: a fabric tube formed of an elastic first material to receive and partially cover the midfoot and hindfoot, the tube comprising a heel end and an opposite midfoot end; a forefoot portion formed of a second material different from the first material to receive and enclose the ball of the foot and the toes, the forefoot portion comprising a toe end and an opposite midfoot end, wherein the midfoot end of the forefoot portion is coupled to the midfoot end of the fabric tube; and at least one floor-engaging forefoot pad disposed on the forefoot portion to underlie a ball of the foot. The tube defines first and second openings at the heel end and a heel strap to extend around the Achilles tendon of the heel between the first and second openings and thereby retain the footwear on the foot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from Australian ProvisionalPatent Application No 2013901936 filed on 30 May 2013, the content ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference. Any and all priority claimsidentified in the Application Data Sheet, or any corrections thereto,are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Described embodiments relate generally to footwear for dancersperforming modern dance. In particular, embodiments relate to moderndance footwear comprising an enclosed toe portion to surround theforefoot, and a form-fitting section to surround much of the hindfoot,having a heel strap.

BACKGROUND

Dancers performing modern dance, which is also called contemporarydance, often perform in bare feet. However, over the course of hours ofrehearsal and practice, the bare feet of the dancer frequently dragacross the floor. For parts of the foot that are not calloused, such asthose areas that do not contact the ground during walking, such draggingcontact with the floor can end up removing skin and be a source ofdiscomfort. In addition to this, bare toes can often become twistedduring the movement of the foot across the ground, and toes may bedislocated or broken when unprotected. Dancers performing modern dancealso perform a variety of spinning, turning or rotating moves on theball of the foot that are difficult to execute in bare feet because ofthe coefficient of friction of human skin against normal dance surfaces.

Some dancers wear a suede or cloth pad on the ball of the foot toalleviate some of the discomfort of dancing in bare feet. These pads areusually held in place by a number of elastic straps. However, thesestill leave the toes vulnerable, and are often easily displaced from thefoot. Some dancers wear a half ballet slipper which covers the entiretoe area, but these have no support for the mid-section or arch area ofthe foot and they are secured to the foot with a series of straps, whichare prone to moving around and slipping off the ankle.

It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more shortcomings ordisadvantages associated with prior footwear for modern dance, or to atleast provide a useful alternative thereto.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments relate to dance footwear to be worn on a human footcomprising:

-   -   a fabric tube formed of an elastic first material to receive and        partially cover the midfoot and hindfoot, the tube comprising a        heel end and an opposite midfoot end;    -   a forefoot portion formed of a second material different from        the first material to receive and enclose the ball of the foot        and the toes, the forefoot portion comprising a toe end and an        opposite midfoot end, wherein the midfoot end of the forefoot        portion is coupled to the midfoot end of the fabric tube; and    -   at least one floor-engaging forefoot pad disposed on the        forefoot portion to underlie a ball of the foot;    -   wherein the tube defines first and second openings at the heel        end and a heel strap to extend around the Achilles tendon of the        heel between the first and second openings and thereby retain        the footwear on the foot.

The first material may comprise a medical-grade compressive sockmaterial. The second material may comprise a more durable material thanthe elastic first material. The second material may comprise an elasticmaterial. The second material may comprise a stretch canvas.

Alternatively, the second material may comprise a non-stretch material.The second material may comprise a canvas or leather material.

The heel strap may comprise first and second strap portions that arecontinuous with the tube and are joined together at a positionsubstantially overlying the Achilles tendon. The first and second strapportions may be stitched together.

The first material of the tube may be seamless where it overlies themidfoot. Alternatively, the tube may have a single seam where itoverlies the midfoot.

The at least one forefoot pad may have an irregular shape sized toextend underneath at least some metatarsal bones of the foot but not thetarsal bones. The at least one forefoot pad may have a medial portionand a lateral portion to respectively underlie medial and lateral partsof the ball of the foot. The lateral portion may extend posteriorly to asubstantially greater extent than the medial portion.

The at least one forefoot pad may comprise a single pad. Alternatively,the at least one forefoot pad may comprise separate medial and lateralpads. The at least one forefoot pad may be stitched to the forefootportion. The at least one forefoot pad may comprise a suede material.

The first opening may be sized to allow the calcaneus to besubstantially uncovered by the first material. The second opening may besized to allow the base of the tibia and fibula to be substantiallyuncovered by the first material and may be sized so that the elasticfirst material covers less than all of the talus. The first material mayextend posteriorly of the at least one forefoot pad to overlie most orall of the arches of the foot.

The tube may be mostly single-layered except for the at least oneforefoot pad. The tube and the forefoot portion may have a substantiallylower coefficient of friction relative to a dance floor than the atleast one forefoot pad has relative to the same dance floor.

The first material and the second material may be selected to readilypermit sliding of the first material over a dance floor and to have asubstantially lower coefficient of friction relative to the dance floorthan that of human skin.

The forefoot portion may be coupled to the tube by a stitched seam. Thestitched seam may be elastic. The footwear may further comprise elastictrim applied to sections of any one or more of the forefoot portion andthe tube. The forefoot portion may be formed of a unitary piece of thesecond material. The forefoot portion may be coupled to the tube at anarea adjacent to a metatarsal region of the foot of a wearer of thefootwear when the wearer is wearing a size of the footwear thatcorresponds to a related size of the foot of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are described in further detail below, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front and side perspective view of footwear according tosome embodiments, shown on feet in a pointe position;

FIG. 2A is a bottom view of the footwear of FIG. 1, shown in a flattenedform;

FIG. 2B is a top perspective view of the footwear of FIG. 1, shown in aflattened form;

FIG. 3 is a front and side perspective view of footwear according tosome alternative embodiments, shown on feet in a pointe position;

FIG. 4A is a bottom view of the footwear of FIG. 3, shown in a flattenedform;

FIG. 4B is a top perspective view of the footwear of FIG. 3, shown in aflattened form;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the footwear of FIG. 1 in one stage ofmanufacture of the footwear;

FIG. 5B is a plan view of the footwear of FIG. 1 in another stage ofmanufacture of the footwear; and

FIG. 5C is a plan view of the footwear of FIG. 1 having been transformedinto the footwear at a final stage of manufacture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described embodiments relate generally to footwear for dancersperforming modern dance. In particular, embodiments relate to moderndance footwear comprising an enclosed toe portion to surround theforefoot, and a form-fitting section to surround much of the hindfoot,having a heel strap.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4B, embodiments of the dance footwear 100 areshown and described in further detail. Footwear 100 is particularlyintended for use by dancers performing modern dance, where it is commonto practice, rehearse or perform in bare feet. Footwear 100 is intendedto provide protection to the skin of the foot from rubbing or abrasionagainst the floor or other surfaces, and to provide a degree of arch andankle support, compression around the midfoot, and protection of thetoes, while retaining the barefoot aesthetics of the foot.

Although the term footwear is used herein in relation to the describedembodiments, footwear 100 may alternatively be termed as a light shoe,foot covering, slipper, stocking or sock, or alternatively as a type ofglove for a foot.

The footwear 100 is formed of an enclosed fabric or leather forefootportion 120 and a fabric tube 110 formed of a continuous elasticmaterial, joined together by a seam portion 115 at the region that wouldsit adjacent the metatarsals of the foot when worn, and together adaptedto receive and partially cover the foot. Seam portion 115 may compriseone or multiple seam joins, which may include stitch seams, and may beoverlayed with an elastic portion or strip to strengthen and neaten theappearance of the join. Seam portion 115 may also be described as ajoining portion that joins the forefoot portion 120 and the fabric tube110, which may or may not involve a direct joining of those partstogether. For convenient reference, seam portion 115 is referred toherein as seam 115, although it may include more than a simple seam andmay allow the joining or connection of footwear materials by more thanjust stitches.

Forefoot portion 120 comprises upper 125 and forefoot pad 130. Upper 125is shaped such that, when worn, it wraps around the forefoot laterallyand forms a seam 112 under the arch of the foot, with the distal portionof upper 125 folding underneath the toes to form pleated section 128,which is attached to forefoot pad 130. The forefoot portion 120effectively provides a forefoot sole on its underside where the forefootpad 130 is located. Upper 125 may be formed of a stretch material suchas stretch canvas, stretch nylon or stretch denim, or of a non-stretchmaterial such as canvas or leather, for example. Suede may additionallyor alternatively be used to form part or all of upper 125, since it hassoft and somewhat forgiving (slightly stretching) materialcharacteristics. Forefoot pad 130 has a floor-engaging surface with alower coefficient of friction being more suited for spinning, turning orrotating than the skin of the ball of the foot, while still retainingthe traction required to avoid unintentional slipping of the foot on thefloor.

The tube 110 may be seamless (as depicted in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 5A, 5B and5C) or have one or two side seams, for example. The tube 110 mayalternatively have an underside seam 118, as depicted in FIG. 3, 4A and4B. The tube 110 may be formed of a medical grade compressive sock orstocking material, for example such as a Nylon-Spandex (elastane)material. Other suitable elastic materials for fabric tube 110 maycomprise lycra, lycra mesh, neoprene cotton lycra mesh and nylon mesh,for example. Whichever material is used to form fabric tube 110, itshould be woven with fibres of selected strength and elasticity toclosely and snugly fit the contours of the foot in a way that provides adegree of compression to support the foot and promote (or at least notsignificantly hinder) blood flow. The fit of footwear 100 should notpermit significant or visible puckering, sagging or looseness across anypart of the foot.

Footwear 100 is intended to be form-fitting and snug and may be providedin a variety of sizes to accommodate different foot sizes. Generally,footwear 100 is designed to elastically expand somewhat in width andlength as it is fitted onto a dancer's foot. The degree of elasticity ofthe tube material is selected (for an appropriate foot size) to providea degree of compression that does not hinder blood flow in the foot ormake the dancer uncomfortable when worn for a period of time in theorder of a few hours. The forefoot portion material is selected to bedurable in order to provide protection to the foot, but flexible enoughto conform to the foot and is, in one embodiment of the invention,selected to have a degree of elasticity to provide for a close fit tothe foot. For the most comfort to the wearer, any stitching or seams infootwear 100 should also have a degree of elasticity to allow them toconform to the foot.

Two items of footwear 100 are generally intended to be worn on thedancer's feet. In some embodiments, footwear 100 is symmetrical, so thata pair of identical items of footwear 100 is worn on the feet and eachitem of footwear 100 can be worn on either foot. In other embodiments,footwear 100 is asymmetrical, with each foot having footwear 100 inopposed left and right forms.

When worn on the foot, footwear 100 encloses the toes and extends backacross the dorsal and plantar surfaces of the foot, including coveringthe phalanges, the metatarsal bones, most or all of the tarsal bones andmost or all of the arches of the foot. The dorsal part of the foot iscovered by a dorsal portion 140 of the tube 110 and the plantar portionof the foot is covered by a plantar portion 150 of the tube 110, whilethe toes and ball of the foot are covered by forefoot portion 120 at toeend 102 of footwear 100.

Seam 115 joining tube 110 to forefoot portion 120 is curved aroundforefoot pad 130 at plantar portion 150 of footwear 100, to allowforefoot pad 130 to be attached to forefoot portion 120. Seam 115 ispositioned to generally lie under the arch of the foot of the wearer ina position that would generally avoid or minimally contact the floorwhen the foot is in a flat standing position, so that seam 115 is notfelt by the wearer or at least does not impinge uncomfortably on thewearer's foot. Where the plantar portion 150 meets dorsal portion 140(i.e. on medial and lateral sides of the foot), seam 115 is furtherpositioned to avoid the area of the foot where the metatarsals join thephalanges.

Generally seam 115 is positioned to not extend over areas of flexion ofthe foot and areas where the foot would contact the floor. At the dorsalportion 140, seam 115 curves back towards the toes of the wearer. Thisproduces an aesthetically pleasing line while maximising the portion ofthe foot covered by tube 110, allowing the compressive benefits of tube110 to be applied to a significant portion of the foot of the wearer. Insome embodiments, in order to maximise comfort and aesthetics, seam 110will have an “S” shaped appearance when viewed from the side, as bestshown in FIG. 5B, wherein the seam 115 curves convexly towards the heelof the foot at the plantar portion 150 and convexly towards the toes atdorsal portion 140.

Footwear 100 has heel and ankle openings at an opposite heel end 104 offootwear 100. The heel and ankle openings are defined by overlockingelastic material extending along opposed edges 162, 161 respectively,between which extends a heel strap 160. Heel strap 160 is preferably acontinuous strap, stitched together from two strap portions at the backby stitches 163 (see FIG. 4). Heel strap 160 is arranged to extend alonga generally longitudinal direction and to easily stretch and overlie theAchilles tendon above the calcaneus. The width of the heel strap 160 maybe around 0.8-2.5 cm, for example, when lying flat across the Achillestendon as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B.

The tube 110 is designed to stretch so that the heel and ankle openingsallow much of the ankle and heel to remain uncovered. For example, theheel opening allows the area of the heel around the calcaneus to remainuncovered so that when the dancer is standing flat, the heel contactsthe floor and provides grip and positional stability. If the heelopening is too small, the amount of contact between the heel and thefloor would be diminished and the dancer may experience grip andstability problems during movement. The ankle opening is intended toallow the base of the tibia and fibula, as well as some or all of thetalus, to remain uncovered. This avoids the edge of the opening beingpositioned at parts of the ankle that frequently flex, so that theflexible overlocking material at the edges around the ankle opening doesnot rub or abrade the skin at those parts.

The heel and ankle openings may be sized to be approximately the samesize when the footwear 100 is not being worn, but are intended to beable to stretch in different ways to accommodate the shape of a heel 165and ankle 167 when the footwear 100 is fitted onto a person's foot.

A forefoot pad 130 is formed on the plantar portion of the forefootportion, positioned to correspond with the ball of the foot where itcontacts the floor. Forefoot pad 130 may be formed as one piece offabric, such as suede or similar fabrics. Forefoot pad 130 mayalternatively comprise separate medial and lateral pad portions (notshown) of suede or frictionally similar fabrics. For ease ofillustration, a unitary forefoot pad 130 is described and depicted inthe drawings, although some variation in the exact size, shape andproportions of forefoot pad 130 is intended to be encompassed by thedescribed embodiments.

Forefoot pad 130 may have a rounded diamond shape, as illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 4A. In some embodiments, forefoot pad 130 is intended toprovide support under the medial and lateral metatarsophalangeal joints,as well as the lateral metatarsals, while not extending substantiallyunder the arches of the foot. In one embodiment, forefoot pad 130 has amedial portion and a lateral portion (as shown in FIG. 4 of WO2012/021919, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference),with the lateral portion extending more posteriorly (and roughly inalignment with the lateral metatarsals) than the medial portion. Inother embodiments, forefoot pad 130 may have an oval shape.

For the depicted embodiments in which forefoot pad 130 comprises a layerof material, such material may be stitched by stiches 132 to a part ofthe forefoot portion that is to underlie the ball of the foot, as shownin FIG. 1. Alternative embodiments, such as that illustrated in FIG. 3,may involve the forefoot pad being adhered, embedded or impregnated intothe forefoot portion material. Such alternative embodiments may employ anon-fabric material, such as a curable plastic or resin, that hasfrictional characteristics that provide less grip than human skin butmore grip than the forefoot portion (upper) material. In furtherembodiments, the fabric forefoot pad may be combined with a non-fabricmaterial disposed on the floor-engaging surface to provide selectedcharacteristics of support, grip and/or cushioning.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, a method of manufacturing footwear100 is described in further detail. FIG. 5A shows a plan view of a tubeof material 411 in a state 410 of partial formation into footwear 100.In state 410, a section of forefoot portion 120 has been formed intopleated section 128, and forefoot pad 130 has been stitched by stitches132 or otherwise fixed to pleated portion 128 and to the area offorefoot portion 120 roughly adjacent to, but posterior of, the toeportion 120. In some embodiments, toe portion 120 is formed into pleatedsection 128 by shaping canvas, denim, or other suitable material arounda shoe last. This allows toe portion 120 to be formed into the shape ofa forefoot. In the illustrated embodiment, forefoot portion has beenjoined together underneath forefoot pad 130 by seam 112. Also, prior tostate 410, tube material 411 was stitched to forefoot portion 120 atseam 115, and elastic trim was overlayed to cover seam 115. Tube 411 maybe manufactured as an endless, seamless straight tube using existingequipment, as in the illustrated embodiment.

In state 410, tube 411 has a straight rear edge 412 and is flattened todefine a first side edge 413 and an opposed second side edge 414adjacent the rear edge 412. At this stage, rear edge 412 defines anopening bounded by the endless band (in lateral cross-section) of thetube material.

FIG. 5B shows a further state 420 of partial manufacture of footwear100, following stitching of the tube fabric 411 to itself using stitches163 along a central portion of rear edge 412, thereby at least partiallyclosing off the opening at the rear end, and transforming fabric tube411 into fabric tube 110. Stitches 163 are made adjacent at least thecentre part of the rear edge 412 and any excess material rearward of thestitching may be trimmed.

Also in state 420, portions of the tube 110 have been cut away from eachlateral side and the side edges exposed by the cutting are overlockedwith an elastic material, for example comprising elastic thread, andoptionally covered with a suitably elastic trim. This cuttingeffectively defines a heel opening (extending from rear edge 412 to sideedge 413) within edge 162 and an ankle opening (extending from rear edge412 to side edge 414) within edge 161. Strap 160 extends between theheel and ankle openings and has first and second heel strap portions(only one of which is visible in FIG. 5B) coupled together by stitches163. In alternative embodiments, other means of affixing the heel strapportions together may be used.

As is visible in FIG. 5B, the cuts of the fabric tube 110 used to formthe heel and arch opening are curved, extending from the rear edge 412to the respective closest adjacent side edge 413 or 414. The edges 162,161 of the heel and arch openings thus extend between about a quarterand a half of the total length of the footwear. The length of the cutsis dictated by the desired size of the openings and the desired coverageof the foot by the flexible tube material.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the cuts along edges 161, 162 may begenerally asymmetrical with respect to a longitudinal centre lineextending through stitches 163 along each lateral side of the footwear100 and the ankle opening 161 may be formed to be slightly larger thanheel opening 162. Alternatively, the cuts along edges 161, 162 may begenerally symmetrical, thereby defining heel and ankle openings of aboutthe same dimensions when not worn on a foot, and relying on greaterstretch of the flexible tube material 110 around the ankle openingcompared to the heel opening.

FIG. 5C shows a further state 430 of manufacture, in which the partiallyformed footwear in state 420 is rolled or folded into an orientationthat is 90 degrees from the state 420. Thus, the state 430 shows thetube 110, with forefoot portion 120, forefoot pad 130 and the openingsdefined by edges 161, 162 being generally longitudinally aligned. If theheel and arch openings are of roughly the same size, then the openingswill also be substantially laterally aligned in state 430.

Advantages associated with the use of medical-grade compressive stockingmaterial for the described footwear embodiments include at least thefollowing:

1. Support: the medical-grade compressive stocking material of footwear100 may reduce the chance of a muscle tear from vibration and limit softtissue damage. This helps to protect the dancer against injury and todecrease muscle soreness caused from exercise

2. Blood Circulation: the medical-grade compressive stocking material offootwear 100 may reduce the amount of blood pooling in the extremitiesand aids in encouraging blood flow from the foot back to the heart. Thisimproves oxygenation and can give the dancer a feeling of having moreenergy in the feet and legs. This action can also reduce the feeling oftired and aching legs and feet.

3. Reduced Toxins: the medical-grade compressive stocking material offootwear 100 may reduce the accumulation of toxins in the blood streamdue to increased blood circulation. This is important to dancers as itfacilities muscle recovery during and after exercise. Because of this,dancers can be advised to wear the footwear 100 during rest periods.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown inthe specific embodiments without departing from the scope of theinvention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore,to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as“comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers orsteps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, orgroup of elements, integers or steps.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or thelike which has been included in the present specification is solely forthe purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is notto be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form partof the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the fieldrelevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority dateof each claim of this application.

1. Dance footwear to be worn on a human foot comprising: a fabric tubeformed of an elastic first material to receive and partially cover themidfoot and hindfoot, the tube comprising a heel end and an oppositemidfoot end; a forefoot portion formed of a second material differentfrom the first material to receive and enclose the ball of the foot andthe toes, the forefoot portion comprising a toe end and an oppositemidfoot end, wherein the midfoot end of the forefoot portion is coupledto the midfoot end of the fabric tube; and at least one floor-engagingforefoot pad disposed on the forefoot portion to underlie a ball of thefoot; wherein the tube defines first and second openings at the heel endand a heel strap to extend around the Achilles tendon of the heelbetween the first and second openings and thereby retain the footwear onthe foot.
 2. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the first materialcomprises a medical-grade compressive sock material.
 3. The footwear ofclaim 1, wherein the second material comprises a more durable materialthan the elastic first material.
 4. The footwear of claim 1, wherein thesecond material comprises an elastic material.
 5. The footwear of claim1, wherein the second material is a stretch canvas.
 6. The footwear ofclaim 1, wherein the second material comprises a non-stretch material.7. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises acanvas or leather material.
 8. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the heelstrap comprises first and second strap portions that are continuous withthe tube and are joined together at a position substantially overlyingthe Achilles tendon.
 9. The footwear of claim 8, wherein the first andsecond strap portions are stitched together.
 10. The footwear of claim1, wherein the first material of the tube is seamless where it overliesthe midfoot.
 11. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the tube has a singleseam where it overlies the midfoot.
 12. The footwear of claim 1, whereinthe at least one forefoot pad has an irregular shape sized to extendunderneath at least some metatarsal bones of the foot but not the tarsalbones.
 13. The footwear of claim 12, wherein the at least one forefootpad has a medial portion and a lateral portion to respectively underliemedial and lateral parts of the ball of the foot.
 14. The footwear ofclaim 13, wherein the lateral portion extends posteriorly to asubstantially greater extent than the medial portion.
 15. The footwearof claim 1, wherein the at least one forefoot pad comprises a singlepad.
 16. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the at least one forefoot padcomprises separate medial and lateral pads.
 17. The footwear of claim 1,wherein the at least one forefoot pad is stitched to the forefootportion.
 18. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the at least one forefootpad comprises a suede material.
 19. The footwear of claim 1, wherein thefirst opening is sized to allow the calcaneus to be substantiallyuncovered by the first material.
 20. The footwear of claim 1, whereinthe second opening is sized to allow the base of the tibia and fibula tobe substantially uncovered by the first material and is sized so thatthe elastic first material covers less than all of the talus.
 21. Thefootwear of claim 1, wherein the first material extends posteriorly ofthe at least one forefoot pad to overlie most or all of the arches ofthe foot.
 22. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the tube is mostlysingle-layered except for the at least one forefoot pad.
 23. Thefootwear of claim 1, wherein the tube and the forefoot portion have asubstantially lower coefficient of friction relative to a dance floorthan the at least one forefoot pad has relative to the same dance floor.24. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the first material and the secondmaterial are selected to readily permit sliding of the first materialover a dance floor and to have a substantially lower coefficient offriction relative to the dance floor than that of human skin.
 25. Thefootwear of claim 1, wherein the forefoot portion is coupled to the tubeby a stitched seam.
 26. The footwear of claim 25, wherein the stitchedseam is elastic.
 27. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the footwearfurther comprises elastic trim applied to sections of any one or more ofthe forefoot portion and the tube.
 28. The footwear of claims 1, whereinthe forefoot portion is formed of a unitary piece of the secondmaterial.
 29. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the forefoot portion iscoupled to the tube at an area adjacent to a metatarsal region of thefoot of a wearer of the footwear when the wearer is wearing a size ofthe footwear that corresponds to a related size of the foot of thewearer.